Priam

In Greek mythology, Priam was the last king of Troy*, a ruler who
witnessed the destruction of his city in the Trojan War*. His son Paris
caused the war, while another son, Hector*, became the greatest Trojan
hero during the long struggle against the Greeks.

Priam, the youngest son of King Laomedon of Troy, was originally named
Podarces. While Podarces was an infant, the king promised his daughter
Hesione to the great hero Hercules*. The king broke his promise, and
Hercules killed him and all his sons except Podarces, who was sold as a
slave. Hesione bought her brother at the slave market and changed his name
to Priam.

prophecy
foretelling of what is to come; also something that is predicted

When Priam was still a child, Hercules placed him on the throne of Troy.
Priam grew up to be a capable and honest ruler who expanded Trojan rule
and brought prosperity to the city. The king had several wives. His
favorite, Hecuba, bore him many children, including Hector, Paris, and
Cassandra, a young woman with the power of
prophecy
who foretold the destruction of Troy.

*
See
Names and Places
at the end of this volume for further information.

Priam never forgot Hesione, the sister who had rescued him from slavery.
She had been carried off to Greece by Hercules, who married her to his
friend Telamon. Many years later, Priam sent his son Paris to Greece with
a fleet of ships to bring Hesione back to Troy. Instead of returning with
Hesione, however, Paris brought back Helen*, wife of King Menelaus of
Sparta.

The
abduction
of Helen by Paris enraged the Greeks and led to the Trojan War. By the
time the fighting began, Priam was much too old to take part in battle, so
he let his sons manage the war. Sadly, as the war progressed, he saw his
sons perish one by one.

abduction
carrying away by force

Toward the end of the war, Priam went to the battlefield and asked the
Greek hero Achilles* to return the body of his son Hector, killed in
battle by Achilles. The Greeks greatly admired Priam for this show of
courage. When Troy finally fell, Priam saw his son Polites killed in the
royal palace by the warrior Neoptolemus. Aroused to fury, the aged king
hurled a spear at the Greek, but his throw was too weak to cause any harm.
Neoptolemus responded to Priam's act by dragging the king to the family
altar and killing him.